Daugherty's father, Enquirer sports columnist Paul Daugherty, said he never wanted Down syndrome to define his daughter.

"The day she was born, lots of well-meaning people came into the hospital room bearing brochures about Down syndrome children, and they basically gave us a catalog of what she probably would not do. We threw it all away," said Paul Daugherty. "Everybody wants to belong. It doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not. This has given her something of an identity. It has allowed her to be her and be accepted, not only by these guys out here, but by the student body as a whole."

Jillian Daugherty is graduating in a few months. For her, it means moving on, leaving all her friends and the comfort and acceptance behind.